


A Doll with no Strings

by TonyGrayson



Series: Doll [1]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics), Nightwing (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Brainwashing, Bruce is Batman, Dick is a Doll/Active, Dollhouse inspired, Jason POV, Jason is Red Hood, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, mentions of human trafficking, slightly implied past non-con, tim is robin, when I mean inspired I mean I use some part of the main idea and make up the other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:06:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22338217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TonyGrayson/pseuds/TonyGrayson
Summary: After dismantling another human trafficking operation from Black Mask, Red Hood found a strange box inside a container.He definitely did not expect to find what (or who) he found inside of it.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd
Series: Doll [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1743103
Comments: 84
Kudos: 254





	1. Frozen Cargo

**Author's Note:**

> One day I kinda had the idea "What if Dick was a Doll from Dollhouse?", and I have no idea why. I haven't watched or heard about that series since around the time it finished, I mean, got cancelled. I don't even remember much of it XD.
> 
> You don't really need to have watched Dollhouse to understand this fic, since I will try to explain how things work, and the "rules" are not exactly the same. If you are curious, though, just a warning, it got cancelled after season 2. I called it "the Summer Glau curse".
> 
> Same as my previous story, I'll be posting this around once a week, more frequently after I finish the work. I already have five chapters written (including this one).
> 
> Hope you enjoy! :D

Another night, another Black Mask operation dismantled.

Today was human trafficking. A small affair, compared to what he had dealt with before, but still as important to stop. There were five young women and two young men, shaking with fear, tears barely dried in their faces. He couldn't really say if they were all of legal age. Probably not.

They were at a warehouse at the Gotham docks, because these men were so fucking original. Seriously, why did they still insist in doing business around here? How can they still profit when they keep getting losing "cargo" and "employees", at an almost daily basis? Gotham has so many vigilantes patrolling her it should be considered a terrible place for a criminal to pursue a career here. Unless you are one of those with a fucked up brain, and you love to spend time planning and executing unnecessarily complicated plots just to call the attention of said vigilantes. No, he did not do that once, that was different. He had a personal vendetta, and it was all in the past. Kinda.

Red Hood let his men deal with the victims. Some of them were very sensible to this type of crimes and were ideal to talk to the kids and calm them down, while he, himself, would look for clues that could lead them to other operations or to the big boss himself.

When he entered the container meant to conceal and carry the victims, he noticed the large wooden box that was inside, with no apparent easy way to open. That was odd. Usually they would keep just some basic supplies for the abductees, in case they were to spend days inside it, and thus make sure they didn't die. This box didn't seem to be used for that purpose.

He came outside and picked up a crowbar lying around, trying not to think too much about the particular object, and went back inside. After re-checking the box again he picked out the nails at one of its sides, letting it fall to the floor, and revealing a metal container. What's this? A container matryoshka doll? 

The thing was big and heavy, so he had to take the rest of the wooden box apart to get a better look. It was making a small buzz, as if there was something electronic working there. For what he could tell, it had a sort of cooling system. Going around it he found a touchscreen that lit up when he hovered his hand above it. 

Enter password

Right! Of course it had a password! 

It's not like he couldn't bypass the thing. He always did. But it was so annoying he just wished he could just skip this step. 

There!

Active ID: GS-1

Active condition: Good

\---------------------------------

Battery life: 73% - 11 days (estimate)

\---------------------------------

Success of activation: 97% (estimate)

ACTIVATE

What the fuck is an "Active"? Better not be some kind of toxin. But why would it be transported alongside precious "cargo"? The kids didn't look like test subjects. They looked like the usual people Black Mask liked to sell as sex slaves. He wouldn't "waste" them in experiments with chemicals.

The scanning turned out to be mostly inconclusive to what it was inside, only that it seemed to contain cryogenic fluids, implying something was frozen inside. Could it be a body?

"Hey, Boss!" Riley called. " We shouldn't take too long around here. The cops will probably arrive at any minute."

"I know. I will need a hand here, though. I must take this with me. I'm not sure what it is, but I'm not going to risk leaving it at the hands of the incompetents at the GCPD. Have you found where they were planning to send this people?"

"Surprisingly, it seems its destiny was Metropo- Wow! What is that?" Riley asked as he approached the odd container.

"I just said I do not kn-"

"ACTIVATING ACTIVE GS-1... PLEASE STAND BY."

An electronic voice said.

"What the fuck, man?" Red Hood scolded Riley who had just pressed the "ACTIVATE" button. "Why the hell did you do that?"

"I-I'm sorry, Boss! I-I just tapped it by mistake!"

"INITIALIZING REVIVAL"

"How the hell can you tap a button by mistake when there is just one fucking button in the first place, that screams 'Don't even dare to press me'?"

"INJECTING REVIVAL FLUIDS"

"I'm so sorry!" Riley panicked, his hands in his head. Probably not because of the mistake itself, but because of what the creepy robotic female voice just said.

"Get the rest of the men! We don't know what is coming out of this."

"STABILIZING"

"Yes, Boss!"

"And make sure you all wear masks! We don't know if some kind of toxic gas will be released."

"REVIVAL SUCCESSFUL. PREPARING FOR RELEASE""

"Go!"

Riley ran as fast as he could, as the container started opening itself, releasing a white smoke similar to dry ice.

"ACTIVATION COMPLETE"

The smoke dissipated as it brought a great deal of anticipation. Red Hood risked to take a step in the container's direction. He then saw "it".

It was a body. A young man's body curled up on the white padded inside. Friend of foe, he did not know. He couldn't even see his face. He did seem to be alive, if the slight raising and lowering of his chest was any indication.

He started to wake up. With slow graceful movements and soft sighs, the man slowly rose his torso using his arms for support, with a sleepy and confused expression.

He. Was. Gorgeous! From head to toe. Thick black short and wavy hair, a perfectly sculpted face, capable of putting those ancient Greek statues to shame, which matched with the shape of his lean and muscled body, like one of a gymnast. His golden olive skin paired perfectly with his bright blue eyes. And damn! That was such a perfect pair of lips.

Gorgeous! 

And naked!

Jason felt his face burn and was sure he was as red as the helmet he was wearing, that luckily concealed it.

"Who are you?" Red Hood asked. Thank God for the voice modulator. He was sure he would sound like a head over heels teenager, if it wasn't for it.

The Adonis startled with the question, as if finally awakening from his slumber. He looked extremely confused and when he noticed he was naked, he quickly tried to cover himself, pulling his knees to his chest. He was shaking. One would not be able to say if he was shaking of fear or because he was feeling cold (there was a real cold air coming from the cryogenic pod thingy). But Jason believed both reasons were at play. His eyes did tell him he was indeed scared.

"Hey! It's okay," Hood said, trying to not sound too threatening, even with the distortion of his voice. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Those big dazzling blue eyes looked at him, still unsure. Well, it was understandable. Having someone as big as Red Hood, dressed like he was dressed, with the helmet he was wearing, and a rough and menacing electronic voice telling you they would not hurt you is not really reassuring.

"I know I don't look friendly, but it's mainly to scare the bad guys." He tried a different approach. He removed his jacket and carefully offered it to the Apollo in front of him, who took it and gave him a small nod as a thanks. "There! Do you know why you are here?"

"I-I...," Ganymede looked around, as if trying to understand where he was, in the first place.

"It's okay. Take your time if you don't remember what happened."

"I remember a man whose face was like a-a black skull..."

"Go on, you're doing great." Black Mask personally showing himself to him meant he was very special goods. But he could tell that right away from the freaking cryo pod.

"He-he said something about a special client, I-" he shivered and started hyperventilating with his voice getting higher, "I don't know how I got there!"

"It's okay, you need to calm down. Just breathe slowly, okay?"

He nodded. 

"What's your name?"

"Alton!" He replied with no hesitation.

"Hey Alton, I'm Red Hood. Do you have a family name? Where are you from?"

"I-I don't know. I can't remember."

"It's okay. I will help you find out."

"Boss! Is everything alright?" His men finally arrived. 

"Wow! Who is that?"

"God, another one? Why is he naked?"

"Shut up and get him something to wear!" Red Hood ordered.

"Yes Boss!"

"Cops are arriving soon, we should leave."

"Right. You guys take the container to 21-A. Check for trackers. If you find any, remove or disable them, then move to it 15-C, and decommission 21-A."

"Understood. What about the kid?"

The _kid_. Alton was probably older than Jason. If his men even knew...

One of the guys returned with a set of clothes.

"I will take care of him. Now move! Alton, I need you to step out of there." He then passed the clothes to him. "Here, put these on."

Alton complied, and got dressed while everyone turned their backs to him, to give him some privacy. When he was finished, the men then started to take away the pod.

"W-Why are you trying to avoid the police?" Alton asked.

"Because me and my gang are sort of vigilantes. We basically do the work the police is incapable of doing," he explained. "Usually, we let them take care of the victims. But I cannot let them have you right away. I apologize for this, but there are many unknown variables about your situation. For all we know, they could have put trackers on you, which will make it easy for them to get you back."

"Y-you think they want me back?"

"Oh, I'm sure they do, considering the special treatment around you."

"Special treatment?"

"You were not the only one being smuggled today. But you were the only one inside one of those pods."

"Oh! I- um- okay. I guess I will be safer with you, then."

"You betcha!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That cryo pod scene was so inspired by the first episode of the Firefly series XD
> 
> Yes, Alton is Dick XD Don't worry, he'll not be regarded as such for too long. :)


	2. A Strange Device

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ THIS!  
> I forgot to add before two important tags about this story that is brainwashing and slightly implied past non-con. I have no idea how I forgot about it. I'm really sorry about that.

"Is this your apartment? It's so tidy!" Alton said as if he expected Red Hood to be messy at home.

"One of them. Well, not for much longer, I guess."

"Are you moving?"

"Not really. This is one of my safe houses. Not really my home. And since you now know its location, I will have to discard it."

"Oh. I see." Alton said with a somewhat disappointed look.

"Sorry, it's not that I don't trust you. I mean, I don't, but it's not that I believe you are ill-intentioned. Very few know of the locations of my safe houses. And even those, I wish they did not know."

"Sounds lonely."

"I do have a life under this helmet, you know?" Well, kinda.

"Are you going to keep it all the time? The helmet, I mean?"

"You think I won't trust you with my safe house location, but I will with my face?" He said a bit harshly. Did being frozen mess up with his logical thinking?

"N-No, I just..." Alton cowered a bit. 

Right. One of the few memories the man has is of a villainous man in a black skull mask basically telling him he would be sold off to some rich fucker, who would do God knows what to him. Of course he would be a little stressed out about being around someone who also kept his face and voice hidden away.

"No, it's okay. I get it." He took off the helmet. He still had the domino mask beneath it, but surely it would be enough for Alton to not feel so frightened, right? "I was just being an ass. I do that, sometimes."

"Oh! I-um...t-thank you!"

"Now, I need to check you for trackers." Another reason to ditch the safe house. He had given Alton a bracelet that would disrupt the signal of most trackers, but one could not be too careful.

"O-Okay."

He found two trackers in Alton which he removed with the man's permission. Luckily, they were not too deep. They were simple enough for the bracelet to have its effect, so maybe he wouldn't have to sacrifice another safe house, if he needed to keep an eye on the man for a significant amount of time. He kept looking, trying not to think too much about the action of hovering the scanner through Alton's body. He then reached for the back of his neck when he noticed something there.

"Fuck them!"

"What?"

"May I touch the back of your head?"

"Y-yeah? What is it?"

"They tattooed some kind of a bar code here. I mean, I suppose _they_ did it, not you, since its on a place hidden by your hair." He continued to inspect the odd marking when he noticed something else just above it. "Fuck!"

"W-What?" Alton was getting nervous, and Jason felt a bit guilty.

"Sorry, it's just that you have something metallic embedded in here too." He scanned the small disk. "My scanners do not detect any signal coming from it, so it might not be any type of tracker. It doesn't seem it can easily come off, and I don't want to risk cutting it out either."

Jason then noticed the alarm in Alton's eyes. 

"Don't worry," he said right away, "I have someone who can help me with this kind of thing."

"You think they'll know what this is?"

"Probably. Even if he doesn't, he'll find out in no time."

Shit! He didn't want to call the old man for help _at all_. But he couldn't take the risk, and the Bat was best equipped for this kind of thing.

***

"I recall requesting only your help, not the replacement's." Red Hood said to Batman, not amused that Robin had come along.

"Robin can be of great assistance in these matters." Batman dismissed and looked at Alton, who looked extremely confused after witnessing two new masked people entering from the window.

"This is Alton, can't remember the family name. Alton, this is Batman and the Boy Blunder."

"Very original, funny and mature of you." Robin said.

"Thanks. I appreciate when my efforts are recognized."

"What do you remember exactly?" Batman asked Alton, who shuddered with the roughness of Batman's low and intimidating voice.

"I-um, not much..." The man was clearly nervous.

"He doesn't remember anything else besides what I already told you." Red Hood intervened.

"Do you have any leads to whom he was to be sold to?"

"It seems they were to be shipped to Metropolis. But anyway, that is not why I called you. I can handle that part of the investigation myself."

"Right." Batman paused and looked to Alton. "Show me, then."

Alton's gaze turned to Red Hood. 

"It's okay. He might not look like it, but one of the good ones. Sometimes too good."

Alton then turned and used his hand to remove the hair that hid the tattoo and the metallic disk.

"'Too good' is not a thing, Hood." Robin said.

"And what do you know about, baby bird?"

"Probably many things more than you."

"Shut up, both of you." Batman said as he inspected the strange thing. He came prepared with a better scanner that would even get a 3-D image of whatever he wished to scan.

"D-do you know what this might be?"

"The scanner indicates it's embedded in your head and that it's deeper than it looks like at a first look." Alton tensed even more than he already was. "It also seems there is some kind of liquid substance stored there. I might just be able to extract a sample to run some tests." 

"How?" Alton asked.

"With a small needle. I will also need to take some blood samples with me."

Alton let an almost inaudible whimper.

"Hey, I know it doesn't sound good, but it's really important to help you find out who you are. As well as what those men wanted from you." Red Hood said.

"I-I understand. That way you can also stop them from doing it to someone else." 

Batman let a small sound of approval. Meanwhile, he prepared the necessary equipment to get the samples, and proceeded to extract them. 

"I will analyze this, and get back to you when I have some answers. You should remain here, in the meantime, for your own safety." 

Batman then signaled both Robin and Red Hood to follow him.

"The device he has on the back of his head does not seem something Black Mask would deal with. Same with this pod you mentioned." Batman murmured. "I will also collect information on that container. I suggest you do try to learn more to whom he was meant to be sent. But, at the same time, I wouldn't leave the kid alone for long, and always keep him under surveillance."

"Seriously, who do you think you are talking to?" Like, he was no amateur. He looked back at Alton, who was sitting on the couch, looking at the TV with a gaze that probably meant he wasn't really watching anything. He was probably inside his own head, trying to figure out what the hell was happening to him, and why.

"Just call me as soon as-" Jason turned back, but both Batman and Robin were gone. "Great! They treat me like Gordon, now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if you noticed, but the number of Chapters says 2/7. That's right! I've finished the story! I just felt inspired last night! 
> 
> Now, I still need to review everything, specially some parts I'm not 100% sure about. But guess what? I'll most likely post more than one chapter a week from now on :D 
> 
> Hope you enjoy the rest of the story 💙
> 
> I always love to read your opinions!


	3. Living the Moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing this chapter! Hope you enjoy reading it!

Next day, Bruce called Jason requesting his presence at the cave. He let his men guarding his safe house, where he left Alton sleeping. Apparently Bruce had some news about the guy.

"Firstly, his name is Richard Grayson, not Alton." Bruce said.

"Richard Grayson..." The same was really familiar. "Oh! You mean _the_ Richard Grayson, like the kid from the circus. The one who 'got away'? The origin of the name 'Robin'?"

"Exactly that one." Bruce said as he opened the files he had on Richard, when he was still a child. In most of those pictures, Richard had an ear to ear smile on his face, showing such confidence in his pose it was hard to link him to the trembling mess Jason left sleeping in his bed. "I had taken him as my ward, right after his parents' deaths. A few months later, he disappeared without a trace. I never really stopped looking, but after so long I did start to wonder if he was still alive." There was a small hint of guilt in Bruce's eyes then. "He was clearly taken away, at the time. There's no way he would have been able to go off the grid by himself. But I still don't know who took him."

"Wow! I can't believe I actually found the original Robin." Jason made a "mind blown" gesture with his hands. "I mean, he never _really_ got to be a Robin, right?"

"No, but he did like being called so. It was something his mother would call him. He also liked to be called 'Dick'".

Huh, Robin is so much better. He'd never call him "Dick". Unless he ended up being a _dick_. 

"So you used the name as a homage to him? Or was it just so you would keep reminding yourself about the kid you failed?"

Bruce did not reply.

"Of course you would do it to torment yourself. You must be a masochist."

"Like I said, I still don't know who took him," Bruce ignored him, "nor why. There is also the fact that he remembers his name being Alton." 

"I did find it odd that he just remembered that one." Jason nodded.

"Everything indicates that this is not the first time he got his memory wiped. And maybe that device on his head has something to do with it."

"What do you know about the liquid thingies you found on it?"

"I still don't have results about that. It might take a little while. But I'm almost sure those chemicals are supposed to be released to his brain."

"Maybe to sedate him if he remembers something he shouldn't, and tries to escape?"

"Perhaps," Bruce agreed, although it didn't look he was entirely convinced, "but if it is, it's a new type of sedative. That was the first thing I looked for."

"Okay, so what now?" Jason asked.

"Now you keep taking care of him while I continue my research." 

"Great. I wonder what will be his reaction when I tell him who he really is."

"Don't tell him just yet. Not before we know the whole story." 

"That doesn't seem right. He has the right to know. Hell, maybe he will start to remember if I tell him, and show him pictures and videos of him and his family at the circus."

"I understand what you mean. But we don't know anything about what happened all these years. You could make things worse if he ends up remembering traumatic events. We need to do it in a more controlled environment."

"Fuck, you're right! He was going to be sold off to fuck knows who." Jason said, disgusted at the thought. "Who knows if this would even be the first time, since his memory had seemingly been erased just recently."

"It is plausible."

"Okay, okay! I'm keeping the information to myself, for now. Just concentrate on getting the rest of the story. He clearly has been an expensive investment to those who 'owned' him. They will want to have him back. The more time it takes, the greater the risk of them finding out his whereabouts, and I rather know what to be prepared for."

Bruce just let out a noise from his throat, which Jason took as an agreement. He knew he could count with the old man to take this as a priority matter, since it was something that affected him personally.

***

A few weeks had passed and Richard has been nothing but a delight. It was clearly being hard for him to stay at home all that time, forbidden to go out. Luckily he understood the need for the house arrest, but since he didn't seem to be someone who could keep himself quiet for too long, he was always trying to find something to do. 

Sometimes, Jason would arrive and find him doing some exercise, which mainly included acrobatics and gymnastics. As it seemed, the muscle memory of the original Robin didn't forget its origins. Everytime, he would greet Red Hood with a big bright smile and great enthusiasm, asking him about his day. Jason was starting to see the little lost boy from those pictures, somewhere in there. 

One day, he came home in a panic after the fire alarm went off. When he arrived there, he found Richard with a guilty and sad look on his face, holding something pitch black Jason guessed was supposed to be food, while his men, who went to check on him, where cooing at him, trying to make him feel better. Only when Red Hood told him not to worry, that everything was okay, did Richard start feeling better again. Apparently he wanted to make himself useful and tried to cook something. It didn't go very well, but it all just made Jason feel like scooping him up and hold him tight for how adorable Richard was. It was becoming hard to control himself into not doing that.

It was when they were watching a movie together, sitting side by side on the couch, that Jason finally admitted to himself he was starting to crush on the guy really hard. 

One of the perks of being with someone who had lost their memories, the way Richard did, was that they didn't know about some movie classics. Not the old black and white movies, no. He means the movies he watched in his childhood. Fantasy and science fiction adventures almost everyone knew by heart, and made you the odd one if you haven't watched them. Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, super hero movies, and so on. He would avoid The Matrix for obvious reasons.

They were watching the first Jurassic Park when he noticed Richard flinch at the part where the T-Rex escaped and started causing terror. Jason chuckled at that, imagining how he would react to the T-Rex at the Bat's cave. 

When the velociraptors came to scene once more, then Richard turned away from the TV screen, curling himself at Jason's side, around his arm. 

"Why do the kids have to left alone to deal with the most dangerous ones?"

"You want to stop?" Jason asked.

"N-no..."

He then noticed Richard was peeking at the movie, clearly still curious about what would happen, and relaxing just a bit when the kids where joined by the adults. Jason wondered then if he should introduce him some real horror movies. Would Richard be rolling himself up around him? That would be really nice! And really wrong. What was he thinking? There could be something triggering in the movie. Hell, the guy was scared at some make believe dinosaurs. Okay, they are kind of scary when you watch it the first time.

Soon after that night, Jason came to the conclusion he should not encourage any kind of relationship with Richard. Not until his case was solved, at least. Pursuing something with a guy with some sort of amnesia was a risk that could end up breaking someone's heart. Probably Jason's.

***

It was too late. 

Evidently, Richard had also started feeling something for Jason, whom he only knew as Red Hood. They ended up almost making out on the couch, one night, after watching Pride & Prejudice, which made Jason regret the choice of the movie, but at the same time be glad of it.

"Look," Red Hood said, regretfully pushing Richard away, "don't get me wrong. I would _really_ love to kiss you right now. But I don't think we should."

"Why?" Richard ask with irresistible puppy eyes.

"Well, um-" he cleared his throat, "mostly for your own sake. You don't remember who you are. You don't even know if you already have someone in your life."

"If I had anyone, family, friends, or lover, wouldn't they report me missing? Wouldn't your friend already have found about it?"

"That's true but-"

"And what if I never get my memories back again? Should I live my life alone, just in case one day I might remember?"

Richard was making some good points... No! 

"Okay, well, we should at least wait until we find something more about you. Or at least, who took you and for which purpose."

"What if you never find out?" Richard snapped as he got up. "It's been more than two weeks, Hood. I do love being here with you and all, but it's starting to get hard for me not being able to go out. Now you say I shouldn't even act on my feelings because of whoever I was before all this? Oh!" he stopped for a bit, with Jason a little surprised at the outburst. 

"Is it because you don't want to trust me with your identity?" Richard continued. "Because _you_ don't know who I am, and what I could do with the information if I were to remember?"

"N-..." Jason tried to explain, also getting up from the couch.

"Well, if it is, do say so! Don't make it look like you are trying to do it for my own good. I won't break! I wasn't asking you to marry me, nor even go steady, for fucks sake. Nor was I trying to get you out of your mask. I was just going with the flow. With my instincts. If you are not interested then it's okay! But please just-" he was interrupted when Jason said "Fuck it" to himself and kissed him.

Richard froze for one second, possibly surprised at the change of heart from Red Hood's side. But he quickly kissed him back, moaning while wrapping his arms around "Hood's" neck and shoulders, making the latter go wild with the hungry sound and grab him by his waist to bring him closer.

Without breaking the kiss, Jason slid his hands down to Richard's back thighs, grabbing them, and pulling him up. Richard helped by wrapping his legs around him and letting himself get carried to the bedroom, where he was carefully laid on the bed on his back. 

Richard hurriedly pulled Hood to him and peeled off Jason's T-shirt, while Jason also moved to open Richard's buttoned one. Before he could take off the shirt from the man below him, he was spun around with a show of strength that he was not expecting the other to have, though it made sense he did. Jason wasn't sure what Richard meant with wanting to be on top of him, but at that point, he felt he would take anything the other would give him.

Jason felt Richard's hand working his belt off, while he had his other arm next to Jason's head, steadying himself so they could still keep their mouths linked together. Jason quickly started to help him with the belt, button and zipper. He closed his eyes, rolling them up, as soon as Richard slid his hand down his briefs, relishing in the pleasure that immediately followed.

That's when he heard his phone buzzing. The one that was always in his pants' pocket. He ignored it by taking it off, silencing and tossing it to a corner of the room, without even opening his eyes to look at the object. 

Then he heard it from his ear piece, something he would never remove, not as Red Hood.

" _Batman to Red Hood._ " Fuck! Great fucking timing... 

" _This is urgent! I have very good reasons to believe that you are in danger from Richa-_ " 

Jason open his eyes in alarm and saw the blade on Richard's hand, ready to slice is throat. 

He quickly grabbed the other's wrist, squeezing it so tight the latter could not help but let go of the knife. Jason then used his immense strength to force Richard down, while picking up the knife and holding it against the other's neck.

"Who the fuck do you think you are? Why the fuck are you trying to kill me?" Red Hood growled.

Richard didn't even flinch. At that moment, his eyes were a tint of gold, almost glowing around wide pupils, and he was wearing a neutral but chilling expression that would scare many in that situation. But not Red Hood.

"Talk right fucking now! Who do you work for?"

Needless to say, he didn't get a reply. What he did get was a direct hit to his groin, in such a way he couldn't even understand how it was possible, since he believed he had the smaller man well pinned down. 

In a few seconds, Red Hood was thrown off the bed. Richard ran to the window, opening it, and stopping for a second to look back at Red Hood, with those creepy golden eyes and a grin on his face. 

Fuck! Even then he looked so fucking beautiful.

Richard then fled through the window.

" _Awaiting your reply, Red Hood. Are you there?_ "

Jason made his way to follow the now revealed assassin while picking up some of his nearby gear, including his leader jacket.

He took his hand to the ear piece. "Yes. Care to repeat what you just said?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You probably already guessed who Dick is working for 😋
> 
> I have nothing against people who haven't watched the movies I mentioned XD I myself know a few people who didn't watch some of those, and I find it fascinating!
> 
> On another note, my next story will be a Marvel one, with Tony as one of the main focus because it's me and there is no other way. Not sure if you are interested, but I just wanted to let you know :)


	4. Want Him Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many answers in this chapter, I believe. I hope it all makes sense!

" _I have good reasons to believe you are in danger. I've discovered the purpose of that device in Richard's head. It is used for brainwashing._ "

"To what extent?" Jason asked as he tried to gain ground on Richard.

It was proving to be difficult to do so, as the guy was really fast. And the way he would leap and flip between buildings was making hard for Jason to not to just be struck with awe. He was a fucking artist. It was his anger that pushed that thought away.

" _I've contacted someone who had to deal with others like Richard. They belong to the Court of Owls, who can work on their memories almost as if on a computer._ "

"Like adding and deleting memories?" 

He could see now that he had an advantage on the other man. No matter how good Richard's skill was, he had no gear with him. No weapons, no grapple gun, just his clothes. Damn, the guy wasn't even wearing shoes. So basically he had to avoid certain obstacles and keep to buildings close enough so he could make the jumps.

" _Something like that. They can also make them learn new skills, as long as their body is prepared for it._ "

"So if their hardware meet the necessary requirements, they can install the kung fu application?"

Even under-dressed and under-equipped, Richard was still too good to be true. Were these skills something this Court of Owls "installed" on him? 

" _Something close to it, yes. Anyway, many of their agents, whom they call Actives or Dolls, are used for assassination._ "

There was a shorter building than the one Richard was, too low to directly jump to it. But that did not stop the assassin, who just gracefully let himself down through the fire escape with quick flips, using only its bars so he could descend faster, until he reached a height he was confident to jump for the other building.

"Fuck, he's fast."

" _Red Hood, are you, per any chance, pursuing him at the moment?_ "

"What gave it away?"

Batman sighed. " _It would have been better if we had gotten him without him being alerted._ "

"Well I couldn't do much better with a knife aimed to my throat."

" _I understand._ "

There was a short radio silence.

" _Hood._ "

He was failing to reduce the distance between them. If anything Richard was getting farther and farther away.

"Say it, old man!"

He was getting very tired of this chase.

" _Do avoid hurting him._ "

He picked up is grapple gun.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt him."

He aimed the gun.

_Much._

He fired. 

***

"What part of 'avoid hurting him' did you not understand?". Batman scolded.

"I didn't hurt him!" Red Hood said. They were at an old base, awaiting the guy who supposedly had already encountered other "Actives".

Batman then pointed to Richard's bloody temple that was being cleaned by the replacement. The man was unconscious and thoroughly tied up to a metal chair bolted to the floor.

"That wasn't me! That was the floor! He tripped and hit the ground with his head. Not my fault!"

Batman was not amused in the least. "You want me to believe you just got lucky in catching a expertly trained acrobat assassin because he tripped on his feet?"

"I didn't say he tripped on his feet. He tripped on the wire from my grapple gun."

Batman narrowed his eyes.

"Okay, okay! Sorry! To be fair, I didn't really expected he would actually fall, him being so flexible and evasive, and all. But hey! It's nothing serious, he'll recover just fine. That wasn't even what knocked him out."

"I guess that happened when you put him into a chokehold until he passed out."

"Exactly!"

The old man's eyebrows furrowed even more, if that was possible.

"What did you want me to do? I didn't have the full gear on me!"

"And why is that?"

Jason did not reply to that right away. How was he to tell Bruce what they were doing just before he was contacted?

"You let your guard down around him." Batman concluded.

"Yeah, I did. Sorry for being a kindhearted man who wouldn't walk all loaded up around a frightened and traumatized person. Or someone pretending to be one, I guess."

"That was extremely reckless."

"You're right. Next time, you do the fucking babysitting! Where is your guy, anyway?" Jason was already tired of the conversation that was going nowhere.

"Right here!" Said a man wearing an all black armor suit, a long black coat, and a black cowl, as if he was a Batman knock-off. Okay, the creepy smile makes him look like a Batman from an alternate universe. "Hey!"

"Wow, you two are dressed the same!" Red Hood mocked.

""What are the odds."" He and the other guy said at the same time. He frowned. Whas he calling him on being "obvious"?

"It seems you guys have the bird well caged. But I recommend never taking your eyes of him, just in case." The man said as he approached Richard.

"I have brought all the materials you requested, Midnighter. Can you help us revert whatever they did to him?"

The man, Midnighter, whistled, "Damn, you got the prettiest one I've seen yet!"

Somehow Jason was feeling a little bit jealous of the way the other man was eyeing Richard. Just like a tiny bit.

"But, yeah. I can probably help. Already managed to do it once. And before you ask, I just failed, like two before her. And she was my last try, so I can say the ones before were just step stones to success." 

"I do not wish to take risks with him. Are you capable of doing it, without risking is life, or not?" Batman asked. Of course he didn't want to risk Richard's life. It would be the final blow on the old man, to have the boy he lost finally back, and having him die a few days later while trying to save him.

"Yes, yes. I know exactly what failed with the first two and what lead to the success with the third one." Midnighter said, with an even creepier grin. "But I'm curious. Do you guys know what is the ID of this Doll? Beauty here must be one of the higher ranks."

"ID?" Robin asked.

"Yeah, like GS-1 or something like that."

"GS-1." Red Hood replied.

"That's the example."

"No, I mean. The pod where I found him in, it said 'Active ID GS-1'" 

"What?" The grin on the guy's face faltered a bit before growing even more. "You are telling me you caught _the_ Gray Son?"

"Wait, did they give them his ID based on his real name?" Robin was naturally confused. "Why would they risk something that obvious?"

"What do you know of Grayson? Why is he special?" Batman asked.

"Well, he's supposed to be the courts best Doll." Midnighter paused, looking Richard up and down. "And I can see why."

"Then why did Black Mask have him? Why sell him out to Metropolis?" Jason needed to stop feeling jealous. That _Doll_ freaking wanted to kill him.

"Clearly he wasn't meant to go to Metropolis, Hood." Robin said.

"Robin's right." Batman agreed. "This was probably a trap to get him found by one of us. You said yourself that the operation they were running was small, and not that well protected. They were meant to be caught, and Richard to be found."

"He's clearly one of the 'seducing assassin Dolls'." Midnighter said.

"What now?" Red Hood tried not to stutter at that.

"The Dolls can be used for different purposes. Most common are escorts, spies, bodyguards, and, of course, assassins." Midnighter explained. "They also have 'full time' assassins, who are not Actives. They are 'volunteers'. They do not even have the devices on their heads. They then have two types of Doll assassins. The direct type, where they just find the target, and kill them right away. And a more long-con type, when the court believes the only chance they have at taking down their mark is by gaining their trust so they can get close."

"And Red Hood fell just for that." Robin mocked.

"Shut the fuck up, replacement."

"You shouldn't feel bad for falling for it, Match Head. They are designed to succeed. The way they do it is by making their own Doll believe they are who they say they are."

What?

"They analyze their target to understand what kind of person makes them vulnerable, and then create a personality with specific memories to install in the Doll. When the Doll gets close enough, that device in the back of their heads reprograms them to become what they call a Talon." 

"Are you saying that a guy without memories is what makes us vulnerable?" See, Robin? You don't understand it all.

"No, Robin. But Richard Grayson does make one of us vulnerable." Batman said. "They wanted us to find out who he really was, hoping we would let our guards down because of that knowledge."

At that time, Jason wondered that if what Bruce was trying to say was that if it wasn't Jason falling for the trap, then it would be him. In different circumstances, of course. 

"Huh, so you are telling me they sent their best Doll to kill one of you, but like totally empty? That's interesting." Midnighter said.

"Couldn't there still be some kind of personality installed?" Robin asked. "I mean, he wasn't totally empty. He was like amnesiac and said his name was 'Alton'."

"Personality is hard to get without memories. So maybe they just did empty him, which means he would be as if amnesiac in relation to his true self. Plus one or two suggestions, so he could pass well as a frightened victim, or an obvious fake name to confuse everyone even more. "

Huh.

"But don't they erase their original memories?" Batman asked.

"Not. They just suppress them. Actually, if you want to remove the device, you have to bring his original memories back. That's why I failed my first two attempts. I guess it's either a flaw on their system, or they may find it useful in case they need them later on. Maybe for cases like these, where they cannot just simply remove the fake memories, or they'll end up with an empty shell."

"Would that mean he has about the knowledge of an eight year old?"

Fuck! Would that mean he was just about to get in bed with an eight year old in a grown up body?

"Not exactly. The Court will bring their real memories back, from time to time, to make sure they don't get lost. I guess the most important Dolls would go through this process more times."

Phew. Now that he thinks of it, a child that young _shouldn't_ have the initiative and the know-how Richard shown to have.

"The woman I managed to bring back, she remembered these sessions. Luckily, those weren't traumatizing."

"Those?" Red Hood asked.

"She kind of also got some of her Doll memories. They do try to erase them as much as they can, but I guess some still kind of stick to the brain. She didn't see them as someone she was, but she did had the feeling that they did happened to her. Those are the hard ones."

"What happened to that woman?"

"She went on with her life, was well as she could, I guess. I didn't keep much in touch, though I did warn her to be careful if she wanted to last out there. Last I heard she disappeared once again. I expect it was the Court. Now if they killed her or got her back, I think it depended on whether she was a great Doll or an average one. Anyway, not my problem, really."

"The same will not happen to Richard," Batman said, "We will keep him safe, and take this Court of Owls down."

"Good luck with that. They are like a pest. Hard to get rid of." Midgnighter said. "Now, I will prepare what I need to make your puppet a real boy again. I could use your help, but at least one of you should watch him, in case he wakes up. He might or not still be in his 'Talon mode', although I doubt it."

"Might? So he will revert to his previous self? The 'Alton' persona?" Robin asked.

"Eventually."

"I'll watch him." Red Hood said.

"You sure?" Batman asked.

"Yeah. You and Boy Slumber over there may actually be of use to Midblighter here."

Jason just wanted some answers, before "Alton" was erased.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a reason I didn't put Midnighter in the character tags. And that is because I don't know much about him. Most of what I read was from other fictions, so he might be very OOC here. If that is the case, I apologize.   
> The reason I chose him to be the one that knew about the Dolls is because I couldn't think of someone else that Bruce wouldn't know (much) about, and would probably take some time for him to find.   
> There are probably many other characters that would have been better but my knowledge is very limited, specially outside the batfam.
> 
> In any case, I hope you enjoyed! 💙


	5. I'm a Real Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more answers :)

Almost an hour had passed when Jason heard Richard's groan. The man jerked in panic when he noticed he was restrained, eyes opening wide. Bright blue irises with a small black pupil met Red Hood.

"W-What's happening? W-Where am I? Why am I tied like this? Hood?" He sounded genuinely alarmed.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Red Hood asked attempting a neutral voice. He was wearing the helmet at that moment.

"I-" He blushed a bit. "Um- we were in the bedroom, and you laid me on the bed, and... that's about it."

So, flipping them around was a tactical move? Focus, Jason!

"Why did you keep a knife under your pillow?"

"Oh! I-is that what this is about?" Richard relaxed just a little.

"Why?"

"I-it was a way to feel safer. I don't know. It's just, whenever you were away I felt a bit unsafe. I know you had your men outside, but I could never shake the feeling of being watched."

"Why didn't you say something?"

"What would you do? Stay home all the time? Even if you would, I couldn't ask that of you. There are many other people who need your help, probably more than me."

Red Hood kept silent, contemplating.

"What's wrong? Why couldn't you have asked me about the knife then? Why did you have to bring me here, and tie me up? Why does my head hurt and I feel all sore?" Richard started hyperventilating more and more with each question, realizing that something else might had been going on.

"Breathe." Red Hood took the helmet off. "I'll explain to you what happened. But first you need to relax."

"Please untie me." Richard asked with begging eyes.

"I want to, but I don't know if it is wise."

"It's okay, kid," Midnighter's voice echoed as they all came back to the room, "If Bats here already emptied the vials of his device then he cannot revert back to Talon."

"T-Talon? What's-"

"We'll explain right away." Red Hood assured him while he removed the restraints.

Richard hissed as he grabbed his wrist.

"Sorry," Red Hood said, "that was probably my fault."

Batman and Midnighter then proceeded to explain everything to Richard, taking some pauses to let the man process the information. Batman told him who he was, before he got caught by the Court of Owls, and Midnighter then explained what they are and what they, most likely, did to him. Jason was at his side all the time. He felt more and more protective of Richard, as the original Robin got to learn that he had his mind and body completely used and abused against his will.

"W-what will exactly happen to my mind, if you were to recover my original memories?" Richard finally asked after spending some time processing what he was told.

"Well, I believe that will depend on how well you can cope with your memories." Midnighter started to explain. "What I know is that you will recover the memories up until they were first suppressed from you. Cannot tell you when that happened. You will also remember the times they brought your memories back. The thing is, you may also remember something about the times as a Doll, though not in the same way as your other memories. Your predecessor felt they were more like dreams she knew actually happened. Or something like that."

"Do you know what kind of Doll I could have been?"

"Well, you are- _were_ GS-1. Their supposed best one. For what I managed to learn from the data I gathered on the Court, I believe you were a versatile Doll. Meaning, you probably did most types of missions. Specially considering the master piece you are." He finished with another creepy grin. Must be a trademark.

Richard shuddered at that.

"I understand it sounds something you want to avoid, Richard, but you must go through the procedure." Batman said.

"Well, I would say that is something for him to decide." Red Hood spat back. 

"For once, I agree with Red Hood." Robin said. "It's too of a big deal, in a personal way, for it to be anyone's decision but his."

"We don't know what will happen if he keeps the device without use." Batman argued. "We know it doesn't hold any kind of explosives, but even Midnighter said he does not know if it still can make any kind of damage."

"I'm about 95% sure it won't." Midnighter said.

"It is still his decision. And he certainly needs time to think about it." Red Hood countered back.

"He might need time, but only to come to terms with the inevitable."

"What's your problem? You are the one who told me we shouldn't trigger his memories back without knowing if there was a possible trauma. Not that we _know_ there are most likely many traumas, you want to force it?"

"I always meant to try to bring his memories back. I just needed it to happen in a more controlled environment and know beforehand what kind of life he lived."

"I'm still here, you know?" Richard intervened, frowning. "Hood and Robin are right. It _is_ my decision. And decided to remove it. I want my memories back!"

"You sure you don't want to have time to think about it?" Red Hood asked. He wasn't trying to persuade him not to remove the device. He just didn't want Richard to regret his decision. 

"Yes. I just want to know... W-will I keep my current memories?" Richard asked Midnighter, but looked at Hood.

Jason felt himself blush a bit. Did he want to keep the memories of the last few weeks?

"Yeah, most likely, because I believe that right now, you _are_ Richard Grayson." Midnighter said. "A Richard Grayson with amnesia. I'll just bring your other Richard Grayson memories back."

"Okay, then." He said with conviction. "I would like to have the device removed, if you will help me."

"Sure thing, pretty boy."

***

They had been at it for more than two hours, now. Jason was impatient and nervous. He had been thrown out the room not many minutes after the procedure started. Tim said his rambling and pacing was becoming distracting. He tried to do some research on some cases he had been working on, but to no avail. He just could not concentrate.

Jason was worried about Richard. He didn't know him for long, but he came to care about him a great deal. He only wished this procedure wouldn't break him. That he would again see that bright and affectionate smile he got used to receive. He knew he was enamored with the man. Thinking that Richard's advances could actually be real, that he might also feel something for ~~Jason~~ Red Hood, but that all of it could be lost with him getting his memories back, was making his emotions frustratingly conflicting.

Around thirty minutes later, he heard the door opening, Tim coming out of it.

"You can come in, now." He said. "Actually, he's asking for you."

Jason didn't even asked if everything went well. He just dashed through the door, knowing he would know when he got to Richard. Just before he entered, he tried to compose himself. He didn't want Bruce thinking too much of his attachment to his original Robin. Hell, he wouldn't hear the end of it.

When he entered the room, Richard's eyes caught his almost instantaneously. The other man gave him a small smile and Jason couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Hey, Richard!"

Jason approached the cot Richard was sitting on, not even noticing the way Bruce was looking at them, as if assessing their exchange. 

"Please, it's Dick." was the reply he got, together with a bigger smile.

He chuckled at that. "Hey, Dick! How are you feeling?""

"Hey there, Hood! Can't remember the last time I've felt better." Dick replied with a wink.

"They told me you were an acrobat, not a comedian." Jason snorted.

"What can I say? I'm multitalented." Dick shrugged.

Geez! Was the guy really okay? Was he making these jokes because he was taking what happening to him lightly or trying to suppress what he really felt about it?

"I'm okay, Hood." Dick said as if he read his thoughts. "I mean, I'm not okay with what happened to me, but I feel okay right now. Away from all that."

"Do you want to talk?"

"About what? My feelings? No, not really. Not now." He paused. "Later, perhaps. Right now I believe I have information about the Court that you might want to know."

"That is good news, Dick." Batman said, with the same old lack of enthusiasm on his voice that would make you wonder if he really meant the words or if he was being sarcastic. "Whatever you have may help us take the Court down."

"I'm not sure if what I have is enough for that, but I guess anything is better than nothing."

"You sure you don't want to rest, first?" Red Hood asked.

"Nah, I just woke up!"

"Right." Jason was finding the lame jokes charming, though he worried they were Dick trying to shut himself.

"So, basically the reason I ended up here, is because the Court wanted to try to take at least one of the bats down. I guess you have been causing a lot of trouble for them around here, in Gotham. They never shared any of their plans with the 'real' me, but I can remember many things of my missions as an Active. Including this one as a Talon." He paused and looked around "I was told I was to take down Batman, Red Hood, and/or Batgirl. The more the merrier. Since getting close to you was hard, they told me I would be presented to you as a civilian in need of help."

"Wait? What about me?" Robin asked.

"Sorry, Robin. The Court did tell me you could be included, but you were not a priority."

"I find that offensive!" Robin huffed.

"I knew you had issues, replacement. I didn't know you wanted to die." Red Hood mocked. "If you want, I can help you with that."

"Red Hood." Batman warned.

"It was just a joke. Geez, you should consider taking some therapy sessions to help you relax. Or maybe going to a spa."

Only then he noticed.

"Hey! Where did Creepnighter go?"

"Midnighter left. He said he should not be needed anymore." Batman replied. "Please continue, Dick".

"Anyway, I was told they believed I would face you, Batman. Something about a personal matter. But somehow I'm glad I didn't." Dick said as he glanced at Red Hood and blushed a bit. So he could be as shy as before.

"It is true that there is something personal that would bring you close to me, and that is the main reason I had Red Hood taking care of you, instead of doing it myself." Batman said.

"Okay, now I'm curious. Did you know me before?" 

"When you were a kid, yes."

Dick just stared at Batman, widening his eyes as if waiting for the vigilante to tell him more.

"I may tell you about it, if I deem it to be safe. For now, can you tell me what else you have on the Court of Owls?"

"S-Sure..." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed :D
> 
> Only two more chapters to go!


	6. Welcome to the Family

Dick then proceeded to tell them everything he knew. Which was a lot. 

Apparently he was indeed a versatile Active. Assassin, spy, bodyguard, burglar, escort, several combinations of two or more of those... Just like Midnighter predicted. He also only had faint memories of those personas, and was not sure he could remember them all. But he kept onto those memories, everytime the Court would bring his true ones to the surface, so he could keep the names and faces of the ones taking advantage of him and others.

The Court always treated him with care. They would keep him locked in a spacious apartment like unit. Surveilled, of course, and stripped of anything that he could quickly use to kill or hurt himself. Dick never wished to commit suicide, though. He believed one day he would be able to escape, and use his knowledge to make them pay of their crimes. Batman kept a straight face all the time Dick was talking, but Jason knew for sure the old man was proud of the kid.

Unfortunately, Dick had more on the ones who used the services of the Court of Owls, than on the Court itself. Still, they were more and more certain of one thing. They would want their "Active GS-1" back. And that's were they would get them. If they ended up sending them Dolls, they'd "deactivate" them. They now knew how. If they send them "full time" Talons, then they would have someone they could extract more information from, about the court itself.

"Please let me help you take them down!" Dick said.

"You already have" Batman said.

"I mean fight them."

"I'm sorry, but whatever your personas were, _you_ are still a civilian."

"Hardly... And I'm pretty sure I still remember how to fight. The muscle memory thing? It's something they train us to do, they don't really just program. And that knowledge stays."

"Let's give him a chance, B." Red Hood said. "Just like you did with us."

"You two had to go through a lot of training, before you went to the field." Bruce looked at Dick who was staring with his big puppy eyes, Jason bet it reminded the old man of the eight year old version of the acrobat. 

Bruce sighed. "Fine, but first you have to prove you can do well in a fight. And even then, you will stay away whenever I find it may be too dangerous. We do not wish for them to actually succeed taking you back."

Dick's face brightened at that. "Thank you!"

***

Remembering how to fight was an understatement. Dick was an artist at it! Bruce was quickly convinced, after a few times sparring with the guy, and even if he wasn't, Jason would definitely keep him as an ally. He actually wanted to keep him as more than that, but now was not the time for those thoughts.

They were at the cave, after Batman deemed it was safe to take him there. 

"You actually have a T-Rex?" Dick asked.

"No. It's not mine." Red Hood chuckled. "By the way, what will you be called? Are you too old to be a Robin?" he asked playfully. 

"Hey! I'm Robin!" Robin said.

"Yeah, but you'll be eventually replaced like I was, replacement!"

"Oh, so now it's okay to be replaced? Then why do you still call me 'replacement'"?

"I'm not saying it's okay. I'm saying you deserve it!"

"My mother used to call me Robin." 

Red Hood and Robin stopped their argument, and looked at Dick.

"But don't worry, I have no intention of taking that title from you." Dick winked at Robin.

"Then what will you be?"

"I guess I'll have to think about it." He said while examining the giant penny. "There was this one time, while I was still in the circus, when we went to Metropolis where this big journalist guy told me about one of his interviews with Superman. Apparently they also had heroes in his planet, and one of them was called Nightwing. It was a fascinating story" 

"Nightwing, uh, it does sound like a Gotham bat vigilante name." Red Hood pointed out.

"Did this journalist happen to have black hair, blue eyes hidden under a pair of big glasses, and a very friendly expression?" Robin asked.

"Yeah? For what I remember, I believe so. Do you know him?"

"Er-, We know of him."

"Dick." Batman called. "I need to talk with you. Alone."

"Um-. Sure?"

They retired themselves to the computer area, and Batman proceeded to talk to him, with Dick keeping steady still and a serious expression on his face. Jason was curious to know what was that all about.

"I bet B is going to tell him who we are." Tim whispered.

"No fucking way. The only way you know who Batman is, is if you discover it yourself, or there is no other choice. He just doesn't tell people." Jason retorted.

Bruce then took off his cowl, as Alfred joined them.

"Told you!" Tim said with a smug smile.

"What the-?" 

Dick hugged Bruce. And he hugged him back. Alfred just stood there, with a fond smile on his face and what it seemed the be the threat of tears in his eyes.

"-fuck?"

"Well he _is_ the original Robin."

Jason tried not be jealous. He had nothing to be jealous about, anyway. Yeah, he did wonder if he would have received a similar treatment, were he to reveal to be alive in a different way he did. But no matter how bitter he had been at the time to believe he would, truth was he _knew_ he would. And he did want for Dick to be happy. And Bruce? The old man kinda needed the closure on this matter. Maybe it would help him to stop being so emotionally constipated.

Good thing about the turn of events. He would finally be able to meet Dick as Jason.

***

They had set a trap in hopes to catch at least a full-time Talon. They let out some information that hinted they managed to "deactivate" their precious Doll, and put him back in his cryogenic pod, which was then being stored at one of Red Hood's warehouses.

They were waiting in position when a Talon arrived. He was as stealthy as Dick said they would be. That was enough for him to avoid Red Hood's men without them suspecting a thing. But not enough to deceive a Bat. Not when they expected him, at least. 

The Talon quickly hurried to open the pod and activate the Doll inside. Apparently, it had a silent mode of activation. They had previously hacked it and tampered with it so it would work as if it had a subject inside when not. The Talon was met with an empty chamber.

"My, my. The Court sent only you to get me? My friends will be disappointed." Dick said, from a large ceiling-hung catwalk, in his brand new Nightwing suit that Alfred helped put together. 

It was a black skin-tight suit with a blue stripe that made a V on his chest, going up until his shoulders and down on his back to make another V. Other stripes where connected to the ones on the shoulders which went along his arms and ended at the tips of his middle and ring fingers. He had also some useful gadgets impossible hidden around the suit, as well as two escrima sticks held at a strip, one at each thigh, and, of course, the typical domino mask. Although Jason appreciated the view that left nothing to the imagination, he tried to convince the man to use something that would give him more protection. He did _not_ tell him he also didn't wish others to witness the perfection the suit did not hide. That ass alone would call the attention of most of the enemies, and they could only hope it would not distract their allies.

"But you should not be, great-grandson." Said the Talon, a man in a black suit and armor, throwing knives belt around his torso and a cowl that reminding of an owl.

Great-grandson? Dick did tell them that most Talons are kept frozen while not on a mission. But that was something else.

"Wow. I don't know if you are delusional or just well preserved."

"The best are well kept. Used only for special occasions. Like this one." That's all the Talon said before more of them revealed themselves, forcing their side to attack as well.

Batman aimed for great-grandpa, while Robin and Batgirl got busy with two other Talons they encountered in their way to the same spot. Jason went to help Nightwing, who was being surrounded by four Talons, but was intercepted by two of them. How many are there, after all?

For what he understood, these Talons are the best the Court has to offer. He does not know how good they are supposed to be, but if they are at least at Dick's level, then this will be a challenge.

Red Hood didn't want to waste time and energy trying to evaluate and compare their skills. Nightwing is clearly the Talons' target, and the one with more on his plate. With his two pistols in his hands, loaded with rubber bullets, courtesy of the old Bat, he avoided a set of blades thrown in his direction and attacks. The fuckers were fast and avoided his shots easily while he got slashed here and there. When one of the Talons tried to hit him with a blade, he managed to counter it by hitting the side of Talon's arm with his right fist, quickly swinging his left to hit the Talon in the face with a pistol, followed right away by another hit to the head with his right hand and lowering his left to take a shot to the head. If the guy doesn't survive this, blame Batman's not so non-lethal bullet. 

One down.

The other Talon stayed put, looking at him through that creepy owl looking mask, eyes glowing gold. She probably was trying to avoid the same fate of his partner, thus taking Red Hood seriously. They stood face to face. At Talon's slight move, Red Hood aimed his fist to his opponent's throat, rolling around the woman to hit the back of her knee, forcing her down, while he hit the side of her head with both of his guns, grabbing her shoulder for her to face him and also shoot her close in the chest.

Done! They were not so great, after all.

Jason ran right away to meet Nightwing who was also showing his prowess to his attackers. But clearly at a disadvantage.

The blue bird managed to gracefully strike a Talon in the head with a escrima stick making a swift vertical move with his wrist, followed by a powerful horizontal strike that knocked the Talon down. 

Nice!

A second Talon got his turn when he tried to punch Dick as the smaller man avoided by going down, kneeling while turning and hitting the Talon in the knee with the escrima which let out an electric shock that paralyzed him on the spot. Without wasting a fraction of a second, Nightwing rose up and turned his body towards the Talon again to hit him with both escrima stick in the head, one after the other. 

Okay, maybe he wasn't in that much of a disadvantage.

And maybe that thought came too soon.

Nightwing got hit hard at the back of his head and fell forward to the metal floor, before Jason could make it there. The other Talon moved quickly to inject something into Nightwing, but Red Hood shot his hand before he could do so.

"Get the fuck away from him, you fucking pigeon." Red Hood growled. 

Both Talons prepared to attack him when they were simultaneously hit by Batman, who apparently already took down his Talo-, his _five_ Talons. Damn, Jason wasn't going to have something to brag about, after all. Soon after, Robin and Batgirl joined the scene. 

The Talons have lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have watched some youtube videos where some of the fighting moves Red Hood and Nightwing use in the Arkham game series to help me with the fight scene 😇


	7. This is not the end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!  
> Some sexy times ahead. If you are not interested, you can stop reading after the flirting starts, I guess. But please read the notes at the end of the chapter :)  
> I don't think it is descriptive/graphical enough to earn an "Explicit" rating, but enough to earn the "Mature" one, I believe.

Getting information out of the Talons was not an easy process. The ones they faced were not the "best" Talons, after all. Dick's "great-grandpa" was the only of the group and he managed to escape, after Batman went to help Nightwing. 

They were more than used to difficult prisoners, though. A little hint here, a tiny hint there, a few other traps set using the prisoners' trackers to catch some other Talons, full timers or actives, and you get to learn the nest of these infamous Owls at Gotham. 

A great disappointment, they were. Turns out, the Owls were just a bunch of entitled rich people who saw themselves above everyone else.

Typical.

As they expected considering what Midnighter told them, they found information that indicated that their Gotham nest was just one among many others around the world. What they did not expect was to find out they still might have problems with them wanting Dick back. For a group of practical people who dealt with very advanced science, they behaved almost like a cult, kinda believing Richard Grayson to be their prophesied messiah. Even after him being the reason for the current crisis they were going through. Dick did not liked it at all.

"Don't worry, Dick. Let them come. It will only help us get information on another nest for we to take down." Jason said one night, as he sat on the couch. They were hanging out at another of his safe houses, and watching a movie to remind the "good old days". It was starting to become a tradition.

"What worries me is not that they may send more Talons. I just would like to understand why the hell they think I'll join their cause, when I've proven them I have no intentions to do so whatsoever."

"Well, maybe it's because it's the only thing that stops them from fearing you and the rest of the Bats. No one ever said they were completely rational."

Dick chuckled. "I hope it's something like that. Though I would prefer they feared me." He smirked.

"Oh! Isn't that mean of you." Jason said with an mischievous smile.

"I can be mean." Dick said without curling down those pretty lips of his.

"Oh, I _know_ you can!"

"I meant as myself, not as an Active." Now those lips curled down and Jason panicked, believing he fucked up.

"N-no. T-that's not what I meant! I-I swea-"

Dick laughed. "See?"

"You _dick_!"

"Name calling is rude, Jay!"

"Only if it is uncalled for."

"That's a good one!" Dick laughed again.

Damn, Jason was totally head over heels with the guy.

"So," Dick said, "wanna continue from where we left off, that other night, before we were interrupted by my one of my multiple personalities?"

Jason quickly turned himself to Dick and saw the other man blush, contrasting his sly grin. 

He cleared out his throat before speaking. "What? You want to watch Jurassic Park 2? Didn't you have nightmares after that velociraptor scene from the first one?"

Dick pouted adorably. "Who's the _dick_ now?"

Before the man had time to say or do anything else, Jason leaned forward and kissed him. "I can be flexible." He said, before leaning in again into a deep kiss, and pushing the other man down.

"Is that a promise?" Dick grinned when they parted for air, lust in his eyes. "Because I know I am!"

"Good!" Jason panted as he proceeded to use his mouth to follow along Dick's jaw and neck, leaving there small kisses and soft bites down to his collarbone. "After last time, I kinda want to avoid taking you to the bedroom." He momentarily stopped, annoyed at the fabric that was in the way.

Dick chuckled at that and moved to take off his T-shirt. "It is a comfortable couch, so I don't mind too much."

Jason just hummed at that, his mouth too busy to give other kind of reply. Fuck, he just felt like he wanted to taste every inch of Dick's skin. He started on Dick's belt when the smaller man stopped him.

"I got that." He said. "Now, you are not going to keep your clothes, are you? We are playing fair here, are we not?"

Jason then sat up and removed his shirt and started also working on his belt. "Like I said, Dickie, I'm flexible."

"I believe you." Dick purred as he bit his lower lip.

If Jason hadn't already gotten hard, that sight would definitely be enough to do it.

After the burden of the clothes was set aside, Jason resumed his work of worshiping every spot of the body underneath him. 

After a torturous while of avoiding certain areas, but teasing them by going close, Dick started to pant more loudly. "Damn, Jay! I didn't took you for being such a patient teaser."

"Why, Dick, you always seem to misjudge me." Jason said with a soft laugh.

"Just please, do something. I'm losing my mind here."

"As you wish."

"Did you just quote that Princess Bride movie from yesterday?"

"No," Jason said. "I wouldn't said that to you with any other meaning."

"Oh?" Dick sounded a bit disappointed.

"You wanna know why?"

"Why?"

Jason pulled up to meet Dick's face. "Because I don't need those words to say that I love you, Dickie."

Dick blush went as red as he never seen before, and then he gave him the brightest smile to match. "I love you too, Jay". 

They tasted each other's lips some more, and then Jason went down to give Dick what he wanted. The moans coming out of Dick's mouth only encouraged him to to keep on going, working on his lover's length until the other was almost at that point. He stopped then, not wanting to finish things too soon. Jason grabbed the bottle of lube he had at hand, hoping for this day to happen. 

He hesitated for a bit. "Do you have any preference?" Jason asked, recalling the other time Talon Dick rolled them over to be above Jason. He knew it was a strategic move, back then, but that doesn't mean the real Dick was a bottom.

"I swear to God, Jay, if you don't fuck me right now, I'm gonna leave!"

Wow, okay! As you wish, indeed.

He still took time prepping him, of course. But it seemed enough to "calm" Dick down a bit, since he was lucky enough to quickly find his prostrate, making his lover let out even sweeter and louder sounds. Jason secretly wished Dick to be vocal during sex, and was more than happy to learn it was so.

As soon as he was convinced he was thorough enough, Jason slowly but fully entered him, letting out a deep moan echoed by a soft cry, stopping at the end to give Dick some time to adjust. Dick, on the other hand, seemed to be lost in the sensations Jason was giving him, if the gibberish he moaned mixed with his name were any indication. He started thrusting slowly and tentatively. He wanted Dick to feel as much pleasure as he was feeling. Only when he got to hit that sweet spot again, that made Dick cry out loud, he started thrusting faster. After that it was all kind of a blur. He was lost in the intense sensations, touch, sound, sight, taste and smell, that were building him up until he reached his climax that made them both shout. He fell, carefully, over Dick, his body almost dry of energy, as he panted harshly. Dick was also a mess. His breath was mimicking his and Jason noticed Dick also had managed to come.

They both lied at the couch for a while, cuddling beneath a comfy blanket. Jason was feeling so fucking happy he didn't want to let go of Dick. 

"We should get cleaned up sometime." Dick said lazily.

"Yeah, you are right." He replied. "But sometime doesn't mean now."

"No, it does not." Dick then turned to him, and kissed him. "Wanna watch Jurassic Park 2?"

Jason chuckled "I won't be responsible if you have nightmares."

"I bet won't have nightmares if you sleep next to me." Dick said with his sly smile.

"Let's watch Jurassic Park 2!" It was actually called "The Lost World", but that was not something he cared about at the moment.

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! 
> 
> So, I see this is kind of an open ending. I cannot promise I'll do another story continuing this one, but I really do want to.  
> I have some ideas, like make it about the time Dick was a Doll (probably mention them as past events or flashbacks), and continue the idea of the Court wanting him back. And have Damian around 'cos DAMIAN 💚. But, for now, I don't have a very well structured idea. 
> 
> Anyway,  
> Thank you everyone for your support 💙💙💙💙💙  
> I hope you enjoyed this story :)


End file.
